Jacksonville Jaguars Suffer More Injuries Along Offensive Line

Three of the Jaguars offensive line starters left Mall of America Field with protective boots on their left ankles following the Jaguars 26-23 overtime loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.

Left guard Eben Britton, right guard Uche Nwaneri and right tackle Cameron Bradfield all injured their ankles and caused a scramble by the Jaguars coaching staff to plug the holes.

Britton went out early a never returned and was replaced by undrafted rookie Mike Brewster, who performed well in his first NFL action.

Nwaneri was able to finish the game, but went into the game with an ankle injury so his status going forward will be a concern.

Bradfield continued to play in short-yardage situations, but was replaced by Guy Whimper at right tackle for most of the game. Whimper, who was the Jaguars right tackle last season, was again a complete liability in pass protection as he struggled to block Vikings defensive end Brian Robison.

Depth along the Jaguars offensive line was already a concern heading into the season as they have already lost backups Will Rackley, Jason Spitz and John Estes to season ending injuries. Now the Jaguars could be potentially without three starters heading into their crucial Week 2 division matchup with the Houston Texans.

Not all news was bad for the Jaguars offensive line, however.

Left tackle Eugene Monroe had perhaps the best game of his career on Sunday against All-Pro defensive end Jared Allen. Monroe did not allow Allen to hit quarterback Blaine Gabbert once as he was absolutely perfect in pass protection.

If the Jaguars passing offense is going to continue to improve as this season progresses, Monroe is going to need to be a solid anchor of the Jaguars offensive line.